


Green is Not Your Color

by SneetchesToo



Category: Code Black (TV)
Genre: Ethan has no idea which ‘her’ he’s talking about anymore, F/M, Jealousy is not a good look on Leanne, Jesse wishes he had Jedi mind control powers, Mario just wants everyone to stop starring at him, Noa wishes Ethan would get a hobby
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-04
Updated: 2018-03-01
Packaged: 2019-03-13 19:12:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 12,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13577151
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SneetchesToo/pseuds/SneetchesToo
Summary: Leanne Rorish was infuriated. And by infuriated, she meant pissed off. And by pissed off, she meant slightly angry. Possibly even annoyed. Yes, that was it, Leanne was annoyed. But she was not jealous! Nope. Not at all.





	1. Not Jealous

**Author's Note:**

  * For [featherpluckn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/featherpluckn/gifts).



Leanne Rorish was infuriated. And by infuriated, she meant pissed off. And by pissed off, she meant slightly angry. Possibly even annoyed. Yes, that was it, Leanne was annoyed. But she was not jealous! Nope. Not at all. 

She was infuriated that the new EMT flirted with Ethan in front of everyone. She was pissed off that Ethan had the nerve to flirt back. She was angry that he almost looked like he was enjoying it. She was annoyed that he almost looked like he knew he was torturing her. But she was not jealous. Nope. Not jealous. 

Suspicious? Yes. 

Doubtful? Yeah maybe. 

Protective? If she were reaching. 

But jealous? Not in a million years.

“I can hear the wheels in your head turning there Daddy.” Jesse’s cheerful voice cut through the silence of Leanne’s office like a chainsaw and she jumped slightly as the head nurse entered the dark room. “Everything okay?”

“Everything’s just fine!” She spit back, closing her eyes once more and pinching the bridge of her nose. 

The anger in her voice didn’t phase the man however, and he entered the rest of the way before shutting the door behind him. He reached behind him and flipped the light on, turning his attention back to his best-friend. “It doesn’t sound like everything’s fine.”

Leanne growled in response, dropping her arms to her desk where she folded them, her head falling into the space on top soon there after. When she didn’t respond Jesse moved to sit in the chair across from her desk, raising an eyebrow at the woman’s disheveled state.

“This have anything to do with the new EMT that started today?” Jesse already knew the answer to his question, but he was willing to bet that Leanne didn’t.

“No.” Her short response caused the man across from her to chuckle a bit.

“Whatever you say Daddy.” He leaned back in the chair and waited, knowing that it was just a matter of time before she caved.

“Her behavior was very unprofessional.” All of two minutes between Jesse’s question and her response, a record he noted. “Especially the comment she made about ‘taking him to bed’.” She slammed her hands on the edge of her desk, sending her notebook and pen flying to the floor. 

“She was just being friendly.” Jesse almost jumped to the floor and joined her belongings when she shot him a look that could kill.

“There was nothing friendly about it.” She sighed, leaning down to pick up her things. “I should report her for sexual harassment.”

Jesse laughed, rubbing his hands over his tired eyes. “I’m pretty sure that Ethan has to be the one to do that.” He looked up, catching the hint of rage in the doctor’s eyes. “And from the looks of it, he’s to nice of a person to do that.”

Leanne growled again, slamming her hands down once more, this time sending her glasses flying in the nurse’s direction. He caught them, and placed them gently on the desk before offering his friend a small smile.

“He was flirting back Jesse.” The jealously dripping from her voice sent a chill down Jesse’s spine. “He was flirting back and he was enjoying it.”

“I don’t think he was flirting…” But Jesse was unable to finish his sentence before Leanne cut him off, crossing her arms in front of her chest defensively.

“And he knew it was bugging me and yet he kept doing it.” Her tone rose to that of one she rarely used with him and he sighed.

“You’re jealous aren’t you?” He already knew the answer to that question, much like he already knew that the cause of Leanne’s rage was the young brunette EMT, but he wanted to get her talking about it.

“No.” Her answer was short and to the point, and she shot Jesse another deathly look. “I’m not jealous Jesse.” She sighed, her arms falling to her sides. “I’m… concerned.”

“Concerned?” Jesse huffed, a hint of humor in his voice.

“Yes, concerned.” That was it, that was her problem. She was concerned. Concerned that Ethan would get hurt by this clearly immature young woman. Concerned that she would cause a ruckus in the middle of her ER again. Concerned that she would lose Ethan to this sex obsessed woman… 

“Sex obsessed woman?” Jesse asked, raising an eyebrow and chuckling.

 _Oh shit!_ Leanne threw her hands over her face when she realized that she had spoken those words out loud. She wanted to hide. Far, far away from this place. Somewhere that Jesse would never find her.

“You didn’t mean to say those things out loud did you?” Again, Jesse knew the answer to his question, and he almost felt bad for the woman. Almost. 

Shaking her head back and forth Leanne let her hands fall to her lap and she sighed. “I’m being crazy aren’t I?”

Jesse chuckled, crazy was quite the understatement at this moment, but he didn’t want to make her feel worse than she already did about the situation, so he chose a different route. “Why is this bothering you so much Leanne?”

His tone was soft, and Leanne certainly didn’t deserve his patience, but she was thankful for it. “I don’t know Jesse.” She whispered, her voice catching as she fought back tears. _You cannot cry Leanne! Not here, not now. Not even in front of Jesse!_

“You and Ethan…?” He didn’t finish his sentence, praying that she would do that much for him.

“Ethan and I what?” She leaned back in her chair, sighing when her pager went off, buzzing against her hip angrily. “Ethan and I are co-workers Jesse, that’s it.” 

“Not even friends?” He knew that part was a lie. He had seen the way they flirted mercilessly with each other. He had seen the shared glances over patients, the subtle touching when they thought no one was watching. The way Leanne’s eyes lit up when whoever ‘E.J.’ was texted her (and he had a good hunch that someone was Ethan James). He wasn’t an idiot, though for Leanne’s sake, he was hoping she thought he was one.

“Well, yeah, I guess we’re friends Jesse.” She glared at her pager before tossing it on the desk, looking up when Jesse caught sight of the name on the screen and chuckled.

“Speaking of the devil.” He offered his friend a smile before laughing, reaching out to place his hands on hers. “You should try talking to him Leanne.”

Leanne huffed, pulling her hands from the older man’s and reaching for her glasses. She stood, pocketing her pager and moving to stand on the other side of her desk. “I have to go Jesse.”

Jesse reached out and placed his hands on her shoulders, a small smile gracing his lips. “Talk to him chica,” He pulled her in for a hug, patting her back gently before letting go, “or I will.” And with a wink he was off, leaving her standing in the middle of her office with a grimace on her face.

Nope. Leanne Rorish was not jealous. 

However, now she was angry. And she had no problem admitting that.


	2. I Did What...?

It had been exactly 5 hours, 36 minutes, and 13 seconds since Leanne had vanished into her office and had refused to come out. Even sending Jesse in after her had failed. Ethan was hopeful that a little Mama talk would do the trick, but clearly he had been wrong. He had even paged Leanne, praying that she would think there was some sort of emergency and that she would come out of hiding. Once again, he had been wrong.

Sighing, he tossed his empty coffee cup in the trash can and made the move to leave the break room. Stopping only when Jesse entered from the door at the other end of the room, causing him to turn around.

“Any luck?” The head nurse snorted and went about making himself a cup of coffee.

“She’s more stubborn than a pack of mules.” He chuckled at the look on Ethan’s face and returned the coffee pot to it’s rightful place before continuing. “I told her that if she didn’t talk to you, then I would. And since I’m guessing you two haven’t talked…” 

Ethan sighed again, rubbing his hands over his face as he leaned back against the counter. “I even paged her.” He snapped his eyes upward when Jesse laughed. “Didn’t work though.”

“Yeah I was with her when she got the page.” He leaned back against the opposite counter, taking a sip of his coffee before setting the mug down beside him. “Figured she was headed your way.”

The Army doctor shook his head, bracing his hands on either side of him. “Nope.” 

They stood in silence for a few minutes before the break room door opened, Noa and Mario coming through with smiles on their faces, laughing at something the other had said. They were completely oblivious to the two older men though, and they shared a kiss before Jesse’s cat calling clued them in on the fact that they weren’t alone. They both jumped apart at lightning speed, turning bright red and coughing slightly.

“Get a room.” Ethan joked, laughing when Mario ducked out of the break room door with a huff.

“Get a hobby.” Noa spat back, knowing full and well that the older man wouldn’t say anything uncouth to her face, especially not about Mario.

Jesse laughed as he took another sip of his coffee and watched as Noa threw a nearby pillow at the Colonel. “Perhaps you should get a hobby Colonel Willis.” His suggestion was met with a grunt, the man opposite him slouching back against the counter space. “Perhaps that hobby should include a woman?” He raised his eyebrow when Noa halted her steps, doing an about-face before moving into the room more.

“Perhaps he should.” She crossed her arms over her chest and offered them both a smile. “Then maybe he’d leave me and my hobby alone.”

Ethan chuckled and tossed the pillow back in her direction. “You wish.” 

Noa just shrugged her shoulders and turned back around, leaving the two men standing there staring at each other, an awkward silence filling the small break room.

“Is that what this is about?” Ethan finally asked. “Are you guys really that shaken by the fact that I flirted with Mel earlier?”

Jesse laughed, crossing his arms in front of his chest before answering the man’s question. “I don’t care who you flirt with mi amigo,” He waited to see if the good doctor would pick up on what he was hinting, but he didn’t seem to be getting it, so he continued, “Dr. Rorish on the other hand, she cares who you flirt with.”

Ethan sighed. “I know it was unprofessional, but I was just being polite.” He sounded more like a six year old defending himself than a man in his early 50s and Jesse couldn’t help the snort that left him. He watched as the man began to pace back and forth in the small space, his hands going to the pockets of his scrub pants.

“I don’t think Leanne cares that you were being unprofessional…” Again, he was hoping the Colonel would catch on, which by the look of confusion on his face, he guessed that he didn’t. “I think she cares more about the fact that you agreed to let some strange woman take you to bed.”

Ethan stopped dead in his tracks and choked out a sound that was somewhere between a laugh and a gag. Turning to face Jesse he cocked his head to the side and raised an eyebrow. “She thinks I did what?”

The laugh that escaped Jesse’s mouth would’ve scared Ethan if he were a lesser man, but he knew the nurse well enough to know that he was up to something, and it was something good. “Mel made some comment about, and I quote, ‘taking you to bed’, and you agreed.”

“I did no such thing!” Ethan shouted back, his voice raising to a high pitched octave that Jesse had never heard from someone of such stature before.

Jesse laughed again, this time reaching out to place his hands on the younger man’s arms. “Well, Leanne seems to think that you did.”

“You weren’t even there!” Ethan stepped back, pointing an accusing finger at the Puerto Rican man in front of him. “How do you know what I said?”

“Well Leanne told me the part about her asking to take you to bed.” Jesse shrugged, downing the rest of his coffee before continuing. “She seemed quite upset so I figured there was some truth to the statement.”

Ethan laughed, a full belly laugh that caused his face to turn red, and the gaggle of nurses that was entering the room turned around and left as quickly as they had entered. “I guess Leanne missed the part where I said that there was only one woman who would be taking me to bed…” He looked up and offered Jesse a sideways smile, “and it sure as hell isn’t Mel.” 

The two stood in silence for a few minutes, Ethan with his hands on his hips, still chuckling under his breath at the look on Jesse’s face. Jesse dropped his hands to his sides and tried to speak, but every time his mouth opened, no words came out. Finally, he stopped trying and leaned back against the counter again, praying the other man would speak first.

“She really thinks I want to have sex with her?” He pointed out the door like Jesse was going to know which ‘her’ he was talking about.

“Well…” Jesse wasn’t sure if he should rat Leanne out at this point, or if he should just bow out gracefully and let these two idiots figure it for themselves.

“She does, doesn’t she?” Ethan chuckled, running his hands through his hair before dropping his head to stare at his shoes. “She thought I was really flirting with her.”

Jesse sighed, these women had names, and if Ethan didn’t start clarifying which ‘her’ he was talking about soon Jesse was going to have to hit him. Hard. And he really didn’t want to have to explain that one to Leanne. “Which her are you referring to?”

“Huh?” Ethan paused, lifting his head up to look the nurse dead in the eye. “Which her are you referring to?”

Jesse was about to scream when a page came over the loud speaking, summoning them both to the Ambulance Bay immediately. “We’re not done here Colonel Willis.” He shouted over his shoulder as he took off out the break room door.

Ethan sighed, shaking his head from side to side before bouncing on the balls of his feet and following the man out the door. “No I suppose we’re not.”


	3. Oops

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *This chapter is super short, but there’s some Mario/Noa in it, and who doesn’t love that?!

Later that night, after narrowly avoiding both the new EMT and Ethan, Leanne decided to take refuge on the roof while she waited the rest of her shift out. Climbing the stairs to the top, she stopped when she heard voices in what was supposed to be her sanctuary.

“You do know we’re going to get caught up here right?” The voice was hushed, but Leanne could definitely tell that it was female, and her interest peaked.

“Not if we’re quiet.” The male voice was hushed too, and she strained to see if she could make out who it belonged too. “Now shut up and kiss me.” No luck. Leanne wondered if she should try and get closer, but she was afraid of making her presence known.

“You know, earlier, when you said that we would ‘finish this later’, I thought you meant maybe at your place?” The female voice whispered back, and Leanne could barely make out the back of the woman’s head.

“Yeah well, you try telling that to the patients.” The male voice was getting irritated and Leanne inched her way forward, hoping to get a better look.

“If Dr. Rorish catches us, we’re dead.” The female replied, and Leanne could see the woman’s jacket being pushed off her shoulders, a sigh escaping from her lips when the man’s hands found their way under her shirt.

“She won’t catch us.” The male’s hands were busy pushing her shirt up when Leanne stopped. 

_What the hell have I just walked in on?_ And then it hit her, like a freight train. Ethan. Ethan and that new, ridiculous, young EMT must be using the roof for their little rendezvous. _That whore._ She thought to herself. The anger boiling inside her was enough to make any other woman cry, but Leanne wasn’t going to give Ethan the satisfaction of knowing that he’d gotten to her, so instead, she straightened herself up and prepared herself to do something that high school her would even be ashamed of. 

She heard a moan come from the couple not more than 20 feet away from her and she knew she had to put an end to it. Tightening her grip on her stethoscope and taking a deep breath, she forced the door to the roof open with a loud ‘thud’ and popped her head up over the cement barrier. 

Only, it wasn’t Ethan and the EMT. In fact, it wasn’t Ethan and anyone. Or the EMT and anyone. 

“Oh shit!” Noa screamed, grabbing her jacket off the ground and covering her now naked chest with it. Her face was redder than Leanne had ever seen on another human being, and she felt bad, almost.

“I am so sorry.” Leanne chuckled out. “I thought you were someone else.” She grabbed her chest to keep herself from losing her cool, her laughter only increasing when she noticed how Mario had made a dive to hide behind Noa, the sound of him trying to redo his belt causing Leanne to only heave more.

“Jesus Christ Leanne.” She heard Mario mutter after a few minutes of silence and she used the back of her hand to wipe the tears from her face. 

“I am so…” Leanne couldn’t stop laughing, and judging from the sound of it, neither Mario nor Noa were quite as enthused as she was. 

The three stood in silence for a minute, Noa throwing all caution to the wind and turning around to grab her bra from Mario’s shaking hands. After fastening it and pulling her scrub shirt back on she turned back around to face Leanne. “Who the hell did you think we were?”

“Huh?” Leanne had lost all focused, instead, she was concentrating on returning her breathing to normal. The sight of Mario with a face the color of a tomato was still to much to bear and she started laughing again. 

“Leanne!” Noa raised her voice, something she never thought she would do to her boss, a woman whom she generally respected. 

“Oh sorry.” Leanne rubbed her eyes again, took a deep breath, and looked back up. “I thought you were no one. Sorry for interrupting.” 

And with that she turned to leave, but she hadn’t even gotten one foot through the door frame when she heard the voice behind her ask the question she was dreading. The question she was hoping no one else in the building would dare ask. “You thought it was Ethan didn’t you?”

“Excuse me?” Leanne turned around, her hand going to the door frame to steady herself, preparing for a battle that she really didn’t want to fight right now.

“Come on Noa,” she heard Mario’s hushed voice and she laughed again, “let’s not go there.”

“Yes Noa,” She agreed with the younger man for once, and she wasn’t afraid to show it, “let’s not go there.”

Noa crossed her arms in front of her. Not one to back down from a challenge she stepped forward. “You did didn’t you? You thought Ethan and the new chick were up here? So you decided to interrupt their fun.” Noa may have looked stoic on the outside, but on the inside she was shaking with fear. 

Mario reached out and took a hold of Noa’s arm, trying not so gracefully to pull her back towards him before Leanne did something dramatic. But Noa shrugged him off and waited, her arms remaining against her chest, a small smile on the corner of her lips.

“I…” Leanne tried to speak, but she couldn’t form any words that made any sense, so instead she sighed. She had been caught, red handed, trying to stop who she thought were two different doctors from getting their rocks off. She felt like a kid who had just walked in on her sister. She felt like an idiot. A big, jealous, idiot. “Yeah. I did. I thought it was Ethan. And since it’s not Ethan, I’ll just be going on my merry way now.” She painted the fakest smile on her face and turned back towards the staircase. “Sorry for interrupting.” And with that, she was gone. 

“Unbelievable.” Mario muttered behind Noa, causing her to turn around and smack his chest. “Ouch! What was that for?”

“For suggesting that we have sex on the roof when Dr. Rorish was still here.” She glared at him through her messy bangs and turned towards the stair case. “And for being so insensitive!”

“Insensitive?!” Mario hollered after Noa’s retreating form. “She’s the one who interrupted us!” And with that she was gone. Leaving Mario standing alone on the roof, the sun rising over the city behind him.


	4. Noa vs. Ethan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *This chapter is nothing but Ethan and Noa goodness. They’re friendship is my favorite and this chapter is my favorite.

Noa Grace Kean wasn’t typically one to get involved in other people’s relationships. She really wasn’t. In fact, she hated that she was so interested in other people’s drama sometimes. It would really save her some time and energy if she just didn’t care at all about what other people were doing with each other. However, she just couldn’t help herself sometimes. 

And this ‘sometimes’, was one of those times, when she just couldn’t help herself.

“Stop right there!” She shouted after the retreating form. The man in front of her was normally a vision of strength and determination, however, right now he resembled that of a man of fear. _Was he trembling? All I did was tell him to stop._ “I want to talk to you.”

Ethan turned around, facing Noa with the fakest smile he could muster and crossed his arms across his chest. “Well I’m not really in a talking mood right now, so….”

“So….” Noa took a step closer, causing the Colonel to take a step backward. “I think it’s important that we speak.” She smiled politely to the group of nurses that walked past, following them with her eyes, her body still facing towards the man in front of her. “Alone.”

Ethan sighed, his arms dropping to his side. “Why do I have a feeling I’m going to need a beer for this talk?”

“It’s 9am Ethan, really?” Noa chuckled and moved forward again, turning Ethan so that they were both facing down the hallway, wrapping her arm around the man’s shoulders as she started moving them forward. “It’ll be a good talk. I promise.”

The snort that left Ethan was anything but manly, and his shoulders slouched under the weight of the younger woman’s arms. “Fine.” He huffed out. “But we’re doing this somewhere that we won’t get interrupted.”

“Good.” Noa offered him a smile as she steered him towards the door that would lead them to the street. “I’ve had enough interruptions for one day.”

“You know, you and Mario technically interrupted us earlier.” Ethan offered her a sideways smile as he held the door open for her, laughing when she pulled him through after her. “Not the other way around.”

“I know.” She tugged gently, pulling Ethan to walk next to her, linking her arm through his. “But we were interrupted…later.” The look that came over Ethan’s face was enough to send Noa into a fit of giggles, her hands gently tugging on Ethan’s arms to move him along. “That’s kind of what I want to talk to you about.”

Ethan sighed and picked up his pace. “You know, you might want to be careful where you put those hands missy.” Ethan raised an eyebrow at the young girl and smiled when she looped her arm back through his. “I hear Dr. Rorish is getting awfully concerned about my ‘professional relationships’ with my female coworkers.”

Noa let out a laugh that caused a few people to turn and look at the pair with raised eyebrows. “Is she now?”

Ethan nodded his head in response and slowed his pace down as they approached the coffee shop across the street. “Apparently.”

“Huh.” Following Ethan inside, Noa made her way to the counter and waited for the man to join her. “That would explain some things.”

“Explain what kinds of things?” Ethan’s curiosity had been peaked and now his mind reeling. _Why does everyone else seem to know what’s going on with Leanne? Everyone that is, but me._

“First, we order.” Noa turned around and told the barista what she wanted, smiling politely and pointing at Ethan as she walked away to find a table. “Make sure you tip him well!” She shouted behind her, disappearing into the crowd.

Ethan just shook his head and chuckled, giving the young man his order, and a crisp $20. “Keep the change.” He wanted to add ‘for your troubles’ but thought better of it, and instead he took off in the direction he had last seen his young counterpart head.

After finding a seat at the table Noa had chosen on the patio Ethan dropped his hands to his lap and leaned back. “What exactly do we need to talk about so badly Dr. Kean?”

Noa could tell that Ethan was trying to scare her, but she wasn’t afraid of him. “Leanne.”

Ethan took a deep breath and smiled, his lips turning up ever so slightly at the mention of his best-friend’s name. “Leanne?”

“Yes.” Noa offered him a small smile in return, and paused as a young woman dropped off their coffees and handed Noa her bagel. When she was finally out of ear shot she continued, “It seems that her ‘concern for your professional relationships with others’ has gone too far.”

Ethan choked on the sip of coffee he was drinking when he realized what the young resident had just said to him. He set his cup down on the table and leaned forward. “And how is that?”

Noa chuckled, taking a bite out of her bagel and leaning forward as well, her crossed arms bumping Ethan’s on the table. “She walked in on Mario and I, trying to…” She raised an eyebrow and continued, “well you know..” She lifted her hands and gestured around, like her covert hand signals were going to tell the older man exactly what was going on. They didn’t however, not at first, and when they finally did Ethan made a noise that Noa could only describe as a shriek.

“Gross.” He leaned back in his chair once more and rubbed at his eyes. “I didn’t need to know that.” The smile on Noa’s face made Ethan want to run away, but he stayed grounded to his spot, curious as to why Noa seemed to be blaming him for her troubles. “And what exactly does this have to do with me?”

“Well you see…” She took a sip of her coffee and placed her hands on top of Ethan’s on the table. “She thought that she was walking in on a… different couple…” She raised another eyebrow, smiling when she saw the realization come over Ethan’s face. And then he did something Noa was totally not expecting; he laughed. _What the hell is wrong with this man?_

“What?” Ethan pulled his hands free from Noa’s and used them to wipe his tears from his eyes. His laughter still not under control. “Did she think it was you and I… well… you know?” He gestured between them much like Noa had earlier and closed his eyes, shaking away the mental image that he had unfortunately just given himself. “Because as much as I like you, you’re not my type.”

Noa made a face of disgust at the Colonel’s suggestion and shook her head back and forth. “Oh god no!” She slapped her hands over her eyes and bowed her head, choking back a noise that Ethan took offense too, but only slightly. “Jesus Ethan, that’s just wrong!”

Ethan still hadn’t controlled his laughter and he took a few sips of his coffee in hopes of calming himself. “Jeeze thanks Noa.”

Noa chuckled, reaching out to take Ethan’s hands in hers again. “Sorry.” She offered him a smile, squeezing his hands again before dropping them, hers moving to grasp the sides of her coffee cup. “No offense, but you’re not really my type either.”

“You mean I’m not broody enough for your liking?” Ethan knew that he could dig at Mario with no worries about the repercussions, but he actually respected the man, so he kept his comments at bay. 

Noa stuck her tongue out at him and smiled. “Cute Ethan, but no, that’s not it.”

“Then what? Cause I’m going to start taking offense to this situation soon.” Ethan offered her a playful smile over the edge of his cup and he chuckled when she stuck her tongue out once more.

“You’re too…” Noa really didn’t want to hurt his feelings. He was just being playful after all. “Old.”

Ethan choked on his coffee and slid backwards in his chair, offering a glare in the red head’s direction. “Well gee thanks!”

Noa laughed at his dramatic reaction and took another bite of her bagel. “You know who doesn’t think you’re too old though?”

“Who?” Ethan raised an eyebrow and he swore that if she said Mel’s name in response to his question he was going to throw something at her.

“Leanne.” Again, Ethan choked, this time enough so that he coughed roughly afterward, causing Noa to lean forward in response.

“Excuse me?” He choked out his question, his hands going to wipe at his eyes where tears had formed after his cough.

“Leanne. She doesn’t think you’re too old.” She offered him a smirk that would send lesser men running. “I am curious about something though.” 

Ethan just raised an eyebrow in response, choosing to not give her the satisfaction of responding to her little web of lies. 

“I never figured you would be the kind of man to go after an older woman.” She laughed as the Colonel’s face went from slightly pale, to bright red, in a matter of seconds. _Oh this is good._

Ethan couldn’t think. He couldn’t speak either. Noa’s comment about him liking ‘older women’ was definitely not where he expected this conversation to go. _Ugh. What have I done?_

The pair sat in silence for a few minutes, Noa enjoying her bagel while she scrolled through her phone. Ethan on the other hand, he just sat, and stared. At Noa. He couldn’t believe where this conversation had gone. He couldn’t believe that she was so bold as to take this conversation there. Wait. Scratch that. He totally could believe it. Because if there was anyone at Angeles who wasn’t afraid of him. It was her. And he hated it.

“Dammit Noa.” His whispered curse was barely heard by his young companion, but it was loud enough that her attention was peaked. “What the hell is this all about?”

Noa smiled and placed her phone on the table, setting her bagel down on the napkin beside it. “Good. Now we’re talking.”

Ethan let out a sigh and leaned back in his chair. “Speak Noa.” He felt like he was talking to a dog and inwardly cursed himself for speaking to a lady like that. “Please.” _Maybe using my manners will get me out of this._

But using his manners did nothing but make Noa more amped to talk. “Earlier this morning, Mario and I were on the roof.” She paused and looked up at Ethan through her bangs. She held her hands up defensively when a slight look of anger (or maybe it was protectiveness) crossed over the older man’s face. “I don’t know why we thought it was a good idea. But it wasn’t.” She huffed when an I told you so look graced Ethan’s feature, his lips turning upwards slightly. “Anyway…” She took a sip of her coffee and crossed her legs in her chair before continuing. “I was topless and Mario was a few seconds away from missing his pants when we were interrupted by the door being slammed open.” Noa felt bad for Ethan, because the blush that crept over his face was anything but flattering. “And out pops Dr. Rorish, looking like she was ready to murder someone.”

Ethan chuckled, partly because he could see the look of panic on Mario’s handsome face, and partly because he knew exactly what look Noa was talking about. “Well, she did catch you two about to get busy in her favorite hiding spot.”

Noa glared at Ethan in response but continued. “Well, come to find out, she didn’t think it was Mario and I at first.”

Ethan shook his head back and forth. “Wait, what? Who the hell did she think it was?”

Noa slapped her palm against her forehead, regretting starting this conversation with the obviously oblivious man across from her. “Have you not been paying attention?”

Fuck. Ethan was so lost. And his head hurt. He just wanted to go back to work.

“She thought it was you on the roof about to get busy!” Noa all but shouted, and she only lowered her voice when she remembered the group of young children a few feet away.

“Me and you right?” Ethan sighed. “She thought it was me and you?”

“No you idiot!” This time Noa did yell, and she shot an apologetic look to the mother of the small children who had just turned her way. Lowering her voice she turned her attention back to Ethan, setting her mouth in a stern, straight line. “She thought it was you and Mel!”

The color drained from Ethan’s face and he dropped his head to his hands with a sigh. “Fuck.” His voice was hushed, not wanting the soccer mom to come after them. “Why would she think that?”

Noa took the last sip of her coffee and leaned forward, crossing her arms on the table in front of her. “Because she thinks that you’re into Mel.”

“Everybody keeps telling me this but I don’t get it.” Ethan sighed again, drowning the last of his cold coffee before leaning back in his chair and closing his eyes.

“Well you did offer to let her take you to bed.” Noa instantly regretted letting those words leave her mouth when she saw the look of horror on Ethan’s face.

“I did not!” He hissed back, moving to stand. He wanted out of this conversation and he wanted out now.

“Sorry.” Noa reached forward, grabbing Ethan’s hand and pulling him back toward her. “Please sit back down.”

“No.” He was short with her, and Noa knew that she deserved it. “I did nothing wrong. You guys keep coming at me like I’m the bad guy.” He tossed his coffee cup over Noa’s head and in to the trash can. “If Leanne has a problem, she needs to talk to me about it, because I’m done dealing with her little minions.” And with that he was gone, leaving Noa sitting alone on the patio, the soccer mom glaring at her over her iPhone.

_Fuck._ Noa thought to herself. _That was totally not how I pictured this conversation going._


	5. What Pool?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Featuring Elliot/Eloise ;) and some more Mario/Noa ;)
> 
> And some Ethan/Leanne fighting!
> 
> Plus, Rollie comes to the rescue!

Jesse’s head hurt. And Jesse NEVER got headaches. However, this whole mess involving Ethan and Leanne was driving him absolutely insane. He didn’t understand why they were both being so stubborn about this. Everyone at Angels knew they were crazy about each other. Even Campbell. And if Campbell, who was blind to just about everything, was aware, than there was no reason why these two idiots couldn’t get it through their own heads. It really wasn’t that hard. They just needed to kiss and make-up and move on.

And as if on cue, Leanne’s loud and angry voice filled the hallways of Angels Memorial, and Jesse’s heart sank. “I’ve already told you a hundred times Savetti, you can’t just leave all your work for the nurses to do!” She was shouting. Not just being stern. Not just reprimanding. But shouting. Loudly. And Jesse knew in an instant that whatever was going on with her, was nowhere close to good. 

“I said I was sorry.” Mario’s voice was raised, but not nearly as loud as Leanne’s, and Jesse could see his embarrassment from across the room.

“Your patient needed an X-Ray and instead of taking care of him, you were off doing God knows what with Dr. Kean!” Mario’s face turned a shade of red that Jesse had never seen before and he could see the younger man clenching his hands around the chart he was holding. “Your unprofessionalism is going to get someone hurt! Or worse,” She yanked the chart from his hands before giving it a quick once over and slamming it shut, “killed!” And with that she stormed off, leaving Mario standing next to Mr. Wade shaking like a leaf.

Jesse inched his way closer to the young doctor as he turned, coming face to face with Noa herself. He opened his mouth to speak but Noa just nodded her head, watching solemnly as the third year resident retreated down the hall. Jesse’s eyes made contact with Noa’s when they heard Ethan’s equally loud voice from down the hall, screaming at Elliot about some chart mix up, and they both made their way out of Center Stage together, knowing that if anyone was going to solve this problem, it was going to be the two of them.

“Something has to be done about those two!” The words left Noa’s mouth before the pair had even made it into the empty break room, and Jesse let out at a chuckle at the young girl’s words.

“I couldn’t agree more.” He plopped down on the old couch and offered Noa a wayward look. “I do not, however, know what to do in order to fix this.”

Noa plopped down beside him, her elbows hitting her knees, her head falling into her hands with a sigh. They both sat in silence for a few minutes before her quiet voice broke through. “Why won’t they just admit that they’re crazy about each other?”

Jesse laughed and reached over to pat the young resident on the back. “Ah chica, love is a mysterious thing is it not?”

Noa raised her head and shot Jesse a sideways glance. “No one said anything about love Jesse…”

Again, the older man laughed, squeezing Noa’s shoulders as he stood, moving to pace back in fort in front of her. “Ah, but love is exactly the issue here.”

“But they’re not…” Noa stopped mid-sentence and focused her eyes on her hands, blinking rapidly when her brain began to hurt from all the over-thinking she was now doing. “Wait a minute…”

Jesse let out a howl that caused Noa to jump slightly and she raised an eyebrow as he began to speak. “They’re so in love with each other it’s making them stupid.” He froze in his spot and turned to her with a smile. “Idiots really. It’s making them idiots.”

Noa couldn’t agree more on the idiots part. She had never seen two people so in denial about their feelings before and it was driving her crazy that for such smart and well-rounded people, they really were pretty dumb. She got ready to speak when the break room door opened and in walked Rollie Guthrie, Mario trailing behind him, his proverbial tail tucked between his legs. 

She noticed the tone of the room change rather quickly, but then Rollie offered them both a smile and slapped Mario on the back before speaking. “I’m praying that this little meeting of yours is about those two idiots who are currently screaming at each other in front of a dozen patients?”

Jesse’s mouth would’ve hit the floor if it were humanly possible, and he and Noa both ran to the break room door for a better look. And sure enough, Leanne Rorish and Ethan Willis were standing on opposite ends of the trauma floor, screaming at each other.

“Could you be any more unprofessional?” Leanne’s voice was loud and scary and her face had turned a shade of red that she normally only bore on her lips.

“Me?!” Ethan shouted back, waving his chart around in the air as he spoke. “Who’s the one screaming at me in front of all these patients?!”

Noa shoved Jesse in front of her, moving quickly to put themselves between the fighting couple. She noticed quickly that while Mario had never emerged from the break room, Rollie had, and he was currently making his way towards a very frustrated looking Ethan.

“This is stupid Leanne and you know it!” Ethan’s words were like daggers, and Leanne wasn’t the only one who felt the stab of them. “Instead of talking to me like a reasonable adult you’re going to act like a fucking child…” But he wasn’t able to finish his sentence before Rollie was ushering him down the hall, whispering something about it being better that Campbell not walk in on this.

Noa sighed and rubbed her hands over her face before turning to Jesse. “What the hell just happened?”

And that’s when she saw it. The big fat tears streaming down Leanne’s face. And Noa wanted to punch Ethan in the face herself.

“Come on daddy.” Jesse whispered, wrapping an arm around Leanne’s shoulders and ushering her towards the break room. Noa watched as Mario was tossed out, the patient chart that was once in Leanne’s hands now in his.

“You got this?” She gestured around them at the confused and nosy patients and nurses and let out another deep sigh. “I’m gonna go…”

“Yeah. Go.” Mario’s voice was quiet, but she knew that he would clean up the mess that had just been made. She also knew that whether Mario admitted it or not, he highly respected both Willis and Rorish, and that he would make sure that those ridiculous nurses kept their mouths sealed about what they had just witnessed.

“Thank you.” Her voice was hushed and she placed a quick kiss to his cheek before retreating into the break room after Jesse and Leanne.

“What a fucking day man.” Mario whispered under his breath, offering Elliot a sympathetic glance from across the room. “Come on Sugar Bear!” He shouted. “Looks like we’re on damage control!” 

And with that they were off, quieting nurses and calming patients. Elliot using his closeness with Eloise to his advantage, telling her in no uncertain terms that the nurses could not repeat any of what they just witnessed, especially not to Campbell. 

But Eloise was on to them. “You do know that everyone on this staff is rooting for them right?” She asked quietly once the chaos had died down. “Even Campbell has money in that pool.”

“Wait.” Elliot looked up from the chart he was pouring over and offered the blonde a questioning look. “There’s a pool?”

Eloise laughed, patting the resident on the arm and offering him a smile. “Oh Sugar Bear, you really are the last to know everything aren’t you?” She placed a kiss to his cheek and walked away, leaving the stunned man sitting at the nurse’s station alone.

“Wait!” Elliot shouted after her, standing up and moving to following her, only stopping when he saw Mario shake his head with a laugh from across the desk. “What pool?”


	6. What a Mess

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rollie to the rescue. And some angsty/clueless Ethan!

Rollie followed Ethan into an empty room down the hall and sighed to himself when the younger man slouched back against the closest wall, his head going to his hands.

“What exactly is going on here son?” Rollie’s voice was soft, and Ethan was thankful that he hadn’t resorted to yelling at him like everyone else had.

“I don’t know Rollie.” Ethan let out another sigh and raised his head, his eyes catching with Rollie’s from across the room. “I wish I knew so that I could put an end to this mess once and for all.”

Rollie inched his way forward and shut the door behind him, his hands moving to his hips. “So let me get this straight…” He paused, both to get his thoughts in order and also for dramatic affect. “You and Leanne decided to have a screaming match in the middle of Trauma One, for ‘no reason’?” He chuckled before continuing, the embarrassed look on Ethan’s face growing. “That doesn’t make much sense now does it son?”

Ethan returned his head to his hands and shook his head back and forth. “No Rollie, I guess it doesn’t make much sense.” He sighed again and straightened himself up. “None of this makes sense.”

“Enlighten me then Ethan.” Rollie moved his hands from his arms and crossed his arms over his chest.

Leaning back against the wall, Ethan tipped his head upwards and blinked several times. “Apparently Leanne is mad at me.”

Rollie rolled his eyes in response. “No shit.” He couldn’t help the curl of his lips upward at the exasperated sigh that left the Colonel’s mouth. “Why is she mad at you?”

“Apparently she misheard my comment to the new EMT earlier.” He paused and offered Rollie a look that was just begging for him to end this conversation right now. Instead, the older man just raised an eyebrow, urging Ethan to continue. “She thought that I agreed to let her take me to bed.”

Rollie let out a laugh that Ethan had never heard before and doubled over, his hands going to his stomach as he leaned forward, doing his best to catch his breath.

“It’s not funny Rollie!” Ethan made a pouty face and Rollie doubled over again.

“Sorry son.” Rollie did his best to compose himself and took a few deep breaths before standing himself upright and offering Ethan a sympathetic look. “So she thinks that you want to sleep with the new girl?”

“I guess.” Ethan sighed again and bit his lip before continuing. “I’m still not entirely sure what she thought she heard.”

“So she’s jealous?” Ethan couldn’t tell if Rollie’s question was rhetorical or not, but he nodded his head up and down anyway.

“I guess.” Leaning back against the wall behind him Ethan felt his whole body shiver. He had never meant for any of this to happen. He was just being nice. He couldn’t help it if the new girl found him attractive. And he certainly couldn’t help it if Leanne thought that he wanted her back. “I don’t know why she’s taking this so seriously.”

“She’s jealous Ethan.” Rollie chuckled slightly and reached forward to place his hands on the man’s shoulders. “Have you ever dealt with a jealous woman before?”

Ethan shook his head ‘no’ and sighed.

“She thinks that you want to have sex with Mel. And that bothers her because,” Rollie offered Ethan a sly smile and squeezed his shoulders, “in reality, Leanne wants to have sex with you.”

Ethan surely didn’t expect that. Nope. Not at all. He thought that maybe Leanne was in to him. That maybe she was flirting with him because she actually liked him. He surely did like her. But he was never sure because she never took it to the next level. And he sure as hell wasn’t going to freak her out by overstepping his boundaries. So instead, he played it cool. Continued to flirt with her, be friendly, but never anything to dramatic. Just in case he scared her off. But now. Now he was regretting being a bashful loser. Because clearly she was in to him. And clearly he had been wasting his time being a gentleman when he should’ve just come right out and said it.

“I thought I was being pretty obvious though.” He raised an eyebrow at Rollie, waiting for some sort of confirmation that he was in the right ball park. “I mean, all the flirting? The constant invitations for coffee?” He shrugged his shoulders under Rollie’s hands and sighed again. “Was I not being clear that I only have eyes for her?”

Rollie laughed again and Ethan rolled his eyes in response. “Oh son.” He offered the younger man what he hoped was a reassuring smile. “Every one of the 300 employees in this emergency department know that you only have eyes for her.”

Ethan smiled, but then he replayed Rollie’s words in his head and the smile faded. “Everyone but her that is?” He shook his head in response before laying it back against the cool wall once more.

“She knows son, trust me.” Squeezing his shoulders once more Rollie moved to step back, offering Ethan a smile. “She wouldn’t be feeling jealous if she didn’t also have feelings for you.”

There was a moment of silence while Ethan pondered Rollie’s words. “So what do I do now?”

“You talk to her.” He smiled at the Colonel and chuckled quietly to himself before continuing. “Maybe even let her know how you feel.”

Ethan just nodded his head in response, a small smile coming over his face and he stood up off the wall. “I can do that.” And he strolled right past Rollie and out the door, making his way down the crowded hallway as Rollie watched with wide eyes.

 _Ah young love._ He thought to himself. _What a mess._


	7. You Got This

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Just a little Jesse/Noa tagteam peptalk!

Jesse was almost positive that he had never seen Leanne this angry before. Not even after her accident. When her grief was fresh and her anger at the world dwarfed all other emotions. He had never even seen her get this mad at Campbell before. And boy did he know how mad Campbell could make her.

“Leanne,” Jesse reached out and placed a steady hand on Leanne’s shaking shoulder, “you should try and calm down.”

“I don’t want to calm down!” She screamed, her face turning a darker red than it had been 5 minutes ago. Again, something he never thought possible. “What I want to do is slap that idiot across his perfectly handsome face!”

Jesse and Noa both tried to hide the chuckles that left their mouths but neither one was successful.

“Sorry.” Noa offered apologetically, her hands reaching out for Leanne’s shoulders.

The trio stood in silence for a few minutes, Leanne’s sobs slowing down with every deep breath she let go. Noa and Jesse shared looks back and forth, both trying to convince the other to speak first. Both slightly afraid to face the angry brunette in front of them.

“Go on you two.” Leanne’s voice was quiet, her hands going up to wipe the remaining tears from her eyes. “Tell me how stupid I’m being.”

Jesse chose to speak first, slowly making his way closer to the petite woman. “You’re not being stupid.” His voice was quiet, a frown forming on his face when Leanne dropped to the couch in front of them, her head dropping into her hands. “We’re just trying to figure out what exactly is going on here.”

“We just don’t like seeing you upset Leanne.” Noa added, praying that she sounded convincing enough.

Leanne choked back another sob and lifted her head, offering the two a weary look. “I’m an idiot.” She sighed, dropping her hands to her lap. “A big, fucking idiot.”

Jesse flinched, not just at her tone, or the fact that she was calling herself an idiot (which she definitely was not), but also at the fact that she cursed. “You’re not an idiot Leanne.” He sat down next to her on the couch, reaching out to wrap an arm around her still shaky shoulders. “What is this really about?”

“I thought…” She couldn’t even get the words out of her mouth before she started sobbing again, Jesse’s hug doing little to calm her down. She was an idiot. A big, freaking idiot. _Why in the world did I think he was ever in to me?_ She felt like a teenager. A stupid teenager at that. This was the biggest mess and she couldn’t wait to just get herself out of it. Taking a deep breath, she laid out the truth for her two friends. “I thought that Ethan and I had something special.” She sobbed again, rubbing her eyes with her free hand. “I guess I was wrong.”

Noa’s heart broke for the normally strong woman in front of her. “Oh Leanne.” She plopped herself down on the table across from the pair and offered her best sympathetic smile. “You two do have something special.” Leanne shook her head back and forth and Noa sighed. “Trust me Leanne, he’s in to you.”

“Then why would he go and do something so stupid as to offer to get in bed with another woman!” Leanne knew that she sounded stupid. She knew she sounded petty. And yet, she didn’t care. “If I was so special to him why would he flirt like that with another woman?!” There, she said it. She laid out all of her stupid insecurities and she knew that she should feel better about it, but instead, she felt foolish. She could feel a blush rising over her cheeks and she hid her face behind her hands once more.

Jesse let out a chuckle as he tightened his hold on his best-friend’s shoulders. “Oh daddy. If only you knew…”

“Knew what?” She asked through a sniffle, lifting her head to look between the head nurse and the surprisingly quiet resident.

“How insanely crazy about you Ethan is.” Noa blurted out, her hands going to her mouth afterward.

“He is?” Leanne’s question was quiet. So quiet that Jesse and Noa almost didn’t hear it. “So I’m not crazy?”

Jesse laughed, shaking her shoulders gently. “Well that’s currently being debated.” He laughed even harder when Leanne shot him a dirty look. “But, you were definitely well within your rights to be a little jealous.”

Leanne let out a sigh that she didn’t know she had been holding and leaned back against the couch cushions. “What do I do now?” 

“Talk to him!” Noa and Jesse said in unison, laughing when Leanne rolled her eyes at the pair. 

Rising from her seat, Leanne ran her still shaking hands over her thighs and took a deep breath. “I’m going to go get some air.” She started walking towards the break room door but stopped, turning around to face the two. “Please do not follow me.” She pointed a figure at both, a small smile forming on her lips.

“Yes ma’am.” They replied in unison. “Good luck!”

 _Good luck indeed. I’m certainly going to need it._ And with that Leanne headed towards the roof to collect her thoughts, knowing that she would need all the preparation she could get in order to deal with Ethan.


	8. Coffee for Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Here it is, the chapter you’ve all been waiting for! Leanne and Ethan finally talk!

Leanne was thankful that her shift was almost up. Not only had it felt like the longest shift in history, but it was also one roller coaster of a shift. First Ethan and the new EMT, then all the drama that followed. _Dear God_ , Leanne thought, _I’m due for a drink._

She really hadn’t meant for this drama with Ethan to get so out of control. But she really couldn’t help herself. This had all just been too much. She was almost certain that her feelings were warranted, however, she hadn’t meant for this to turn into a complete shit show. And so quickly too. She just wanted things to calm down and go back to normal. 

After her chat with Jesse and Noa she had retreated to the roof for a little quiet time, this time, uninterrupted. She had thought long and hard about what she wanted to do. She had come to the conclusion that she wanted to talk to Ethan, try and put things out in the open, see where he stood after the events of the past 24 hours. However, when she had returned to Trauma One, Ethan was nowhere to be found. Leanne had asked around, but everyone was either avoiding her, or was “unsure” of Ethan’s whereabouts. So, she had given up. That had been 3 hours ago and Ethan hadn’t even returned her texts. She could feel her heart breaking at the thought that she may have caused a rift in their friendship with her stupidity.

As if on cue there was a knock on her office door. “Come in.” Leanne’s voice was quiet, and she hoped that whoever was on the other side was able to hear her.

The door opened softly to reveal the one and only Dr. Willis, a small smile on his face, two cups of steaming coffee in his hands.

“I would’ve brought you flowers, but it’s the middle of the night and I didn’t know what kind is your favorite and...” He was rambling, and he knew it, but goddamn it, he had no clue what to say to the woman right now.

“Is this your way of saying sorry?” Her voice was quiet, and when she removed her glasses to rub her eyes Ethan could see the tear stains on her cheeks and his heart broke.

“It’s my way of saying that I’m really really sorry.” He offered her a smile, that smile; that sweet, sexy smile, and Leanne smiled back.

“Apology accepted.” She motioned for him to enter and smiled when he closed the door behind him with his foot.

Ethan moved forward and handed her one of the cups, a shy smile on his face as he spoke. “I feel like an idiot.” He whispered.

“That makes two of us.” She whispered back, her hands brushing his lightly as she took the cup from his outstretched hand. Bowing her head she leaned back in her chair and sighed.

“My behavior was entirely unprofessional…” Ethan started to speak but Leanne raised a hand to cut him off.

“No it wasn’t Ethan.” Leanne took a sip of her coffee and sighed again, the hot liquid giving her the courage to speak. “I over reacted and I made a scene and I shouldn’t have. I’m sorry that I acted the way that I did. You didn’t deserve that.” She closed her eyes against the threatening tears and wrapped both hands around the cup she was holding. “You’re a grown man. You’re free to flirt with whoever you want. I have no claim on you and I had no right to get as worked up over this as I did.” Her last line was whispered and the sight of the tears in her eyes broke Ethan’s heart. “I’m sorry.”

Ethan didn’t know what to say so instead he moved around to the other side of the desk, turning Leanne’s chair so that she was facing him, and he removed the coffee cup from her hands before pulling her to stand. “How about we just forget this ever happened?” 

Leanne nodded her head but kept her eyes down. “I’d appreciate that.”

“Now…” Ethan reached forward and used his fingers to tip Leanne’s chin up, causing them to be eye-to-eye. “I know shift isn’t technically over,” He offered her a sly smile that caused her to blush, “but I was thinking we could blow this popsicle stand and go get some breakfast.”

The smile that spread across Leanne’s face gave Ethan butterflies and he smiled back when she nodded her head in response. “I’d like that.” She said quietly, her hands fidgeting in front of her.

“Good.” Ethan reached forward and pulled her closer, one hand going to her neck and the other to her hip to hold her in place. “I was thinking,” he leaned down, bringing their faces inches away from each other and whispered, “maybe we could go back to my place after we’re done.” He winked, and Leanne let out the most beautiful giggle he had ever heard.

“Well I don’t know Dr. Willis.” She reached out to wrap her arms around his neck and pressed her forehead to his. “I don’t normally sleep with guys on the first date.”

Ethan chuckled and ran his hand through her hair. “It’s a good thing there’s nothing normal about me then huh?” And with that he kissed her. Sweet and gentle but filled with every ounce of passion he had in him, and Leanne melted right then and there.

“I told you they would make-up.” Rollie whispered quietly to his two wayward companions. Their eyes all glued to the couple on the other side of the door.

“That didn’t take long.” Noa replied, fishing the $10 bill out of her pocket and handing to Rollie.

“Yes well,” Jesse handed the man beside him his share of the pot and smiled, “Lord knows they’ve been dancing around this long enough.”


	9. Make You Scream

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Here we have Ethan being a giant sweetheart and Leanne being a nervous wreck.

Leanne was nervous. No, scratch that, she was terrified. Breakfast had been great and she and Ethan had laughed the whole time, no awkwardness at all. But then they got in his Jeep and he started driving towards his apartment and every nerve in Leanne's body was on fire.

It's not that she wasn't attracted to Ethan. She was incredibly attracted to the man. How could she not be? However, she was absolutely terrified at the idea that she might be having sex with him. This is too much. She thought to herself. I can't do this. I need to get out. And without thinking she reached for the door handle.

"Woah!" Ethan's voice was raised just enough to alarm Leanne, his right hand going quickly to her left arm.

"What?" Leanne practically shouted back at him. Her arms crossing across her chest when she saw him double check the door lock.

"What were you going to do?" Ethan raised an eyebrow at Leanne and honest to God she almost jumped him right then and there.

"I was gonna jump." She joked. However, she wasn't joking. She really was contemplating jumping. Especially now, with him sitting there looking all delicious and confused.

Ethan chuckled and turned his attention back to the road, pulling into the parking lot of his apartment building. "Do I really make you that nervous?"

Leanne didn't want to answer. Yes. She thought to herself. Yes, you do.

They pulled into a space and Ethan cut the engine before hopping out. Making his way to the passenger side he opened the door for her and smiled. "Leanne…"

"Yes?" Her voice was trembling, just like her hands, and she prayed that he was oblivious to her unusual behavior.

"Look at me." His voice was soft, and so were the hands that he placed on her hips as she hopped down, successfully pinning her body between his and the car.

Leanne took a deep breath before looking up, her fidgeting hands twisting and untwisting in front of her. When her eyes came into contact with hers she was surprised. Instead of finding nervousness or anxiousness, or even anger, which she half expected, she was met with something soft and gentle.

"We don't have to do anything you're not comfortable with." He whispered, leaning forward to press his forehead against hers.

"Ethan I…" She didn't know what to say. Did she want to jump his bones right there in the parking lot? Yes. Was she terrified of having sex with the man after one sort-of date? Hell yes. Was she prepared to break his heart if she said 'no'? No. She waited for him to get angry. She waited for him to tell her that it wasn't worth it and that he wasn't going to waste his time. She waited for him to take her upstairs and take advantage of her anyway. But none of those things happened. Instead they stood there, forehead's touching, her breathing ragged, his calm and relaxed. And he waited.

"Hey." He whispered after a few minutes, reaching one hand up and tangling it through the hair at the base of her neck before kissing her lips softly.

"Hi." She whispered back, her hands moving to rest against his stomach.

"Why don't we go watch a movie or something?" His voice was calmer than Leanne had ever heard it and she thought it might have been the most beautiful sound in the world. "You can even take a shower if you want. I can loan you some sweats."

Not knowing what to say in response to his sweetness she simply nodded, dropping her head to his shoulder, her arms wrapping tightly around his waist. She smiled softly when Ethan pressed a gentle kiss to the side of her head before squeezing her gently.

They broke from their hug after a few minutes and Ethan shut the door gently behind her. Taking her hand he lead her quietly into the building and up the three flights of stairs to his apartment. As they got closer Leanne could feel herself getting nervous again and she pulled her hand free of his to wrap it around her body.

"I'm sorry I'm like this." She whispered as they stopped outside his door.

"Don't be Leanne." He pulled his keys from his pocket and unlocked the door, leading her inside quietly before shutting the door behind them. "It's fine."

She could hear the annoyance in his voice and she started to tremble even more. "I should just go." She turned back towards the door but Ethan's strong arm around her waist held her in place.

"Please don't." He said quietly, pulling her close. "I meant what I said Leanne. We don't have to do anything you're not comfortable with. Right now, I'm perfectly content with cuddling up and watching a movie. Maybe even taking a nice early morning nap." His voice never faltered. It never got loud, it never got demeaning or antagonizing. And Leanne was shocked.

"You're sure?" She whispered into his shoulder.

Ethan barely heard her so he pushed her away slightly to look into her eyes. "Yes Leanne, I'm sure." He gave her a look that she knew all to well and she blushed, suddenly feeling like a bigger idiot than earlier for being such a pain. "But…" He moved his hands to her hips and the corners of his lips tugged upward, "if you keep asking me if 'I'm sure', I'm gonna kick you out." And then his fingers danced along her hips, tickling her, and she lost it.

"Ethan James… I swear… to God…!" She screeched in between fits of laugher, Ethan's hands continuing their assault. She tried to run from him but he was much quicker than she expected and he caught her just in time for them both to fall to the couch. Leanne's back landed with a thud and Ethan flopped down on top of her seconds later. They were both to busy laughing to realize the position they were in until Ethan picked his head up and realized just how close their faces were.

Without thinking Ethan crashed his lips to hers, a smile tugging at his mouth when he heard the soft moan from her throat. Pulling back he pressed his forehead to hers, his hand wandering under her t-shirt from it's place on her hip. "You know," he whispered, lowering his head to the dip of her neck, his lips pressing soft kisses there, "I could make you scream those words in pleasure if you'd like."

Leanne would've made a smart comment back to him but his lips found a sweet spot right below her ear and all she could think about was how much she would enjoy that. Moving her hands from their spots on either side of her body, she ran them over his back and up to his head, tugging gently to bring them eye-to-eye.

"Is that a challenge Dr. Willis?" Her voice was low, and sultry, and if Ethan hadn't been turned on before he definitely was now.

"It's more like…" He kissed her hard, his hand stopping just below her breast before pulling back, "a promise."

Leanne chuckled and ran her hands downward, stopping when she got to his butt. She lifted her head ever so slightly and pressed a kiss to his ear before whispering, "I thought you didn't make promises you couldn't keep."

It was Ethan's turn to chuckle and he did so as he stood, reaching down to scoop Leanne up in his arms bridal style, heading for the bedroom down the hall. "Oh I intend to keep this one sweetheart." He kissed her hard again, shutting the bedroom door behind him with his foot before dropping her gently on the bed. "You just wait."


	10. Aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Well, this is it, the last chapter. And probably the best one yet ;) Thanks to everyone for reading! I promise there’s much more to come!

A little while later Leanne woke to the sound of rain hitting the bedroom window, Ethan’s soft snores doing little to drown out the thunder she heard in the distance. Rolling over she quietly tucked herself against his back, wrapping an arm around his bare waist, praying that he would wake up and distract her from the impending storm.

“Time is it?” Ethan mumbled, his hand moving to remove her arm, rolling over onto his back to face her.

“Noon.” She whispered, eyeing him curiously through her messy hair. She had always thought that Ethan was an adorable man, handsome even, and incredibly sexy, but the way he was looking right now, all disheveled with bed head hair and sleepy eyes, made her heart beat faster than she ever remembered it beating.

“Hmph.” He plopped back down, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her to his side, dropping a lazy kiss to her head. “Too early.”

Leanne let out a soft chuckle and ran her hand down his chest and stomach, stopping when she got to the waist band of his boxers. “I don’t like storms.” She whispered, pressing a kiss to his neck, her hand working it’s way downward until she ran it across his growing erection.

Ethan let out a hiss and quickly rolled himself so that he was now on top of her. “If you wanted to go again all you had to do was say so.” His voice was husky and the kiss that he placed to her lips was anything but gentle. But then his hands were on the shirt she was wearing and he was pulling it over her head and Leanne knew that he could pretend to be angry all he wanted, but he wasn’t fooling anyone but himself.

“I need you to…” She reached down and pushed his boxers off, using her foot to work them down over his knees, “distract me.” She kept her voice low, reaching up with her free hand to pull him down for a kiss.

Ethan moaned against her lips and quickly removed her panties, tossing them across the dark room. “I’ll have you know missy…” He ran his hand up her thigh slowly, running a finger along her core until he hit the spot that made her buck beneath him, “I’m very, very good at distraction.” He winked as he slid a finger inside and when she pulled him back down to her, crashing their lips together roughly, he smiled.

“You keep coming up with these challenges,” She pulled back slightly and eyed him warily through her bangs, her hands running along his stomach and back down to his groin, “that I don’t know if you can keep up in.” She smiled at him shyly as she wrapped her legs around his waist, lining herself up with him slowly.

He chuckled softly, his hands moving to run through her hair as he entered her slowly. “You keep doubting my abilities.” Kissing her hard, he settled himself against her before thrusting slowly. “You’re gonna start hurting my feelings here soon.”

Leanne reached up and ran her hands along his face, pulling him to her so that she could kiss him. “I’m sorry.” She whispered softly against his lips, her hands moving to tangle in his hair. “That was never my intention.” She kissed him hard, her hips thrusting up at him, urging him to keep going.

He pulled back and huffed, bracing his hands on either side of her shoulders. “Funny.” He thrust into her once more, smiling to himself when her face twisted in pleasure at his movements. Leaning back down, her rested his forehead against her and thrust again. He moved his head down to her shoulder and pressed a kiss there as he continued his ministrations. It didn’t take long before he felt Leanne start to quiver beneath him and he nipped at her neck as he picked up his pace.

“Ethan…” Her voice was low, and it sounded more like a whine than a moan. Something that Leanne was not too proud of. “Please.” 

Ethan let out a chuckle against her ear before pressing a kiss there, stilling his movements. “You didn’t say my middle name, but I’ll take what I can get.” He pulled back and offered her a seductive look before thrusting into her a little harder than before.

Leanne rolled her eyes at him and smacked his ass gently, “Jerk.”

Ethan lowered his head back down and kissed along her collar bones before moving back up to her lips and kissing her hard, thrusting one last time. He felt Leanne tighten around him and he kissed her harder to drown out her moan. 

Smiling gently against her lips, Ethan pressed one last soft kiss there before pulling back, running a shaky hand through her hair. “Good?” His voice was soft, his hand stopping to cradle her head as his thumb ran itself along her cheek gently. 

Nodding, Leanne closed her eyes and ran her hands up and down Ethan’s bare back. “Very.” She whispered, threading her hands through his hair and pulling his head back down to hers, kissing him softly.

Ethan offered her a gentle smile as he pulled back and rolled off of her, falling onto his back next to her. He wanted to speak but he had no idea exactly what to say so he just sighed, smiling when Leanne curled her naked body against his. Tucking her to his side he placed a soft kiss to her forehead and brushed her sweaty hair back, his hand moving to settle against her bare back.

Leanne smiled to herself, her fingers dancing softly against Ethan’s bare chest. She traced the outline of his dog tags before placing a kiss to the spot right above his racing heart. “Peonies.” She whispered quietly, her eyes closing slightly, her foot moving upwards along Ethan’s leg. 

“Hm?” The sound that escaped Ethan’s lips was barely audible and Leanne couldn’t stop the chuckle that left her lips. 

“My favorite flower.” She whispered, smiling when his hand found its way to her bare bottom. “It’s peonies.”

“Hm.” He mumbled again and moved his hand upward, squeezing her hip gently. 

“For future reference...” She trailed off, rolling her eyes when Ethan let out a quiet sigh, a snore leaving his lips not long after. Leanne let out a sigh that mirrored Ethan’s as she settled herself against him, her eyes betraying her as she fall asleep.

—

The next morning Leanne walked into her office and unloaded her stuff into the old chair by the door before turning the lights on. She tried to act surprised by the giant bouquet of white peonies sitting in a simple purple vase, but she could safely say that she wasn’t.

“I thought you were asleep.” She whispered, knowing that Ethan was right behind her, his hand resting on the door knob beside her.

“I know.” He offered her a sloppy smile and pulled her close. “That was the whole point.” His voice was soft, and so was the kiss he pressed to her lips.

_Maybe being jealous wasn’t always a bad thing._ Nope, Leanne decided. _Sometimes a little jealousy was just what the doctor ordered._

**Author's Note:**

> *Comments make me happy (and they even make me write faster)! *wink* Thanks for reading!


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